Asylum Seekers: Children

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Adonis (HL 3661), whether a grant of £750,000 is being made to Liverpool City Council to pay for a specialist team of social workers to deal with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children over the next three years; whether they agree with the estimate of the Liverpool charity Personal Social Services that more than 200 children have already arrived alone in the city; and whether any of the children have been identified as former child soldiers or as having been intentionally trafficked.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Discussions have been taking place with Liverpool City Council and some other local authorities aimed at providing the Immigration Service with assistance from social workers skilled in assessing age. Funding forms part of these discussions. There are currently around 200 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Liverpool. It is not possible to say if any are former child soldiers or have been intentionally trafficked. I would expect any evidence of this to be brought forward as part of an individual's claim for asylum.

Aviation Health: Contaminated Air

Lord Tyler: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 10 January (WA 33) and the subsequent statement by the Civil Aviation Authority that there had been an incident on the Boeing 757 aircraft registered G-BIKI on 9 November 1998, what steps they are taking to improve the reporting regime for incidents involving contaminated cabin air in aircraft.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The mechanism for reporting contaminated air events is well established through the CAA mandatory occurrence reporting scheme, which is organised to receive reports of incidents affecting airworthiness.
	In the case of the incident involving flight G-BIKI on 9 November 1998, this was unfortunately not reported to the CAA at the time by the airline involved due to an administrative oversight. On 18 January 2006 the incident was drawn to the department's attention by a member of the flight crew. The CAA has subsequently contacted the airline concerned. Under the mandatory occurrence reporting scheme, flight crew themselves have the right to contact the CAA directly about an incident if they choose to, and to have their confidentiality respected.
	We remain satisfied with the effectiveness of this system because it enables both airlines and crews separately to report incidents to the independent regulator.

Aviation: BAA

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have made any strategic assessment of a possible takeover of BAA.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government are following the market activity around the ownership of British Airports Authority (BAA). Our view of the strategic importance of airports, including those owned by BAA, to the UK economy is set out in the 2003 air transport White Paper.

Aviation: CAA Charges

Lord Rotherwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why the Civil Aviation Authority conducted a small business impact test, and not a regulatory impact assessment as required by better regulation, prior to the increase in charges in January 2006.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Civil Aviation Authority's (CAA's) policy is to undertake RIAs wherever appropriate. In this case, the CAA did not undertake a formal RIA because there was no change in regulatory policy.
	During the development of its safety regulation charges the CAA undertook impact analyses for the following regulatory areas, all of which include large as well as very small operators:
	Air Operator Certification Aerodrome Licensing Maintenance organisations approvals
	The analyses were compiled with an emphasis on identifying the impact on the smaller organisations.

Aviation: In-flight Emergencies

Lord Rotherwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many aircraft declaring an in-flight emergency have landed at or been diverted to Heathrow over the past five years; and what types of aircraft and emergencies were involved; and
	How many aircraft declaring an in-flight emergency have landed at or been diverted to Gatwick over the past five years; and what types of aircraft and emergencies were involved.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Flight crew can declare emergencies at two levels: Pan and Mayday. A Pan call concerns the safety of an aircraft, or of a person on board, where immediate assistance is not required. A Mayday call is the more serious. A Mayday call does not necessarily indicate that the aircraft is in imminent danger but that the crew requires urgent attention from the air traffic controller.
	
		Scheduled Landings Declaring An Emergency Into London Heathrow Over Past Five Years
		
			 Reason Pan Mayday 
			 Passenger medical 
			 emergencies 1006 14 
			 Technical problems 212 23 
			 Other emergencies 87 7 
			 Total 1305 44 
		
	
	The following aircraft types were involved (aircraft type is not recorded for passenger medical emergencies):
	A300, A319, A320, A321, A330, A340, B737, B747, B757, B767, B777, BAE146, CL600RJ Regional Jet, Concorde, DC10, DC8, Fokker 100, MD 90 Srs, MD11.
	
		Emergency Diversions Into London Heathrow Over Last Five Years
		
			 Reason Pan Mayday 
			 Passenger medical 
			 emergencies 19 0 
			 Technical problems 9 5 
			 Other emergencies 4 0 
			 Total 32 5 
		
	
	The following aircraft types were involved (aircraft type is not recorded for passenger medical emergencies): A340, B737, B747, B757, B767, B777, BAe 146, Challenger 600.
	
		Scheduled Landings Declaring An Emergency Into London Gatwick Over Last Five Years
		
			 Reason Pan Mayday 
			 Passenger medical 
			 emergencies 355 8 
			 Technical problems 69 6 
			 Other emergencies 18 2 
			 Total 442 16 
		
	
	The following aircraft types were involved (aircraft type is not recorded for passenger medical emergencies):
	A319, A320, A321, A330, ATR 42, ATR 72, B737, B747, B757, B767, B777, BAE146, Bell 206 Jet Ranger, DC10, EMB145, Jetstream 41, SD360.
	Emergency Diversions Into London GatwickOver Last Five Years
	
		
			 Reason Pan Mayday 
			 Passenger medical 
			 emergencies 21 3 
			 Technical problems 19 5 
			 Other emergencies 4 0 
			 Total 44 8 
		
	
	The following aircraft types were involved (aircraft type is not recorded for passenger medical emergencies): A320, B757, B767, B777, BAe 146, Canadair CL600RJ, DHC8, Embraer 145, MD11, Helicopter - Military.

Big Lottery Fund

Viscount Eccles: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many grants have been disbursed by the Big Lottery Fund (acting on behalf of the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund) since June 2004; and what has been their total value; and
	How many grants have been approved by the Big Lottery Fund since June 2004; and what is their total value.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Big Lottery Fund is the operating name of the National Lottery Charities Board and the New Opportunities Fund, both executive non-departmental public bodies, working jointly together pursuant to the administrative merger in June 2004.
	Information up to 31 March 2005 is set out in the Accounts of the New Opportunities Fund, and of the Community Fund, copies of which were presented to Parliament on 31 October 2005 and 15 December 2005 respectively.
	The following information has been supplied by the New Opportunities Fund and the Community Fund.
	
		
			  Grants where payments have been made since 1 June 2004 Awards approved since 1 June 2004 
			 New Opportunities 
			 Fund £828.6 million £623.3 million 
			 Community Fund £374.9 million £351.9 million 
		
	
	These figures exclude Awards for All and those delivered through Award Partners.
	The New Opportunities Fund and the Community Fund working together as the Big Lottery Fund have made 24,560 awards since June 2004.

Council Tax: Ministerial Code

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the non-payment of council tax by a Minister of the Crown breaches the seven principles of public life as set out in the Ministerial Code of Conduct.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Ministerial Code makes it clear that Ministers are personally responsible for deciding how to act and conduct themselves in the light of the code and for justifying their actions and conduct in Parliament.
	The Cabinet Secretary has confirmed that for the future he has put in place procedures to ensure that Ministers who are allocated official residences are given clear guidance on dealing with their council tax liabilities as set out in the Answer given in the other place by my right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister to the honourable Member for Meriden on 12 January 2006 (Official Report, Commons, cols. 782–83W).

DfT: Aviation Directorate

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 31 January (WA 26), what was the nature of each contract between the Aviation Directorate and external consultants; how much each contract cost; how long each contact was for; and what was the name of each consultant.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The information requested cannot be provided in the detail or format requested except at disproportionate cost. The attached table sets out a list of consultants used over the period together with details of annual costs for contracts over £25,000 in value and an indication of broad area of work.
	
		Consultancy contracts placed by Aviation Directorate since 2002-03—by value (£)Contracts above £25,000 in value
		
			 Consultant 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 Area of Work 
			 AEA Technology 0 5,844 11,980 18,935 Air Transport White Paper 
			 Arup 0 275,913 3,466 9,614 Air Transport White Paper 
			 Avia Solutions 0 2,018,142 9,044 0 Air Transport White Paper 
			 Civil Aviation Authority 1 358,728 0 0 0  
			 Credit Suisse 0 134,339 0 0 NATS PPP 
			 Halcrow 0 447,978 95,572 84,679 Air Transport White Paper 
			 Manchester Airport 0 0 461,775 0 Air Transport White Paper & 
			 Emissions 
			 MVA Ltd 193,530 0 0 0 Aircraft Noise 
			 National Air Traffic 
			 Services (Enroute) 186,820 0 0 0 Technical Advice 
			 QinetiQ 214,066 0 0 0 Aircraft Noise 
			 RDC 0 73,336 85,008 31,065 Air Transport White Paper 
			 Scott Wilson 111,280 181,229 151,974 165,481 Air Transport White Paper & Emissions 
			 Slaughter & May 0 500,607 6,178 0 NATS PPP 
			 Succession Planning Associates 51,916 101,161 65,675 0 Recruitment of CAA Board 
			 Members 
			 Contracts below £25,000 in value  
			 Various 188,946 16,510 0 5,375  
			 Total 1,305,286 3,755,059 890,672 315,649  
		
	
	1 Note: Some services provided by the Civil Aviation Authority classified as consultancy in 2002–03 but subsequently reclassified

Electoral Commission

Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any member of the Electoral Commission has been associated in any way with any political party.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 provides the rules regarding who may or may not become an Electoral Commissioner. Section 3(4) of that Act states that:
	"A person may not be appointed as an Electoral Commissioner if the person—
	(a) is a member of a registered party;
	(b) is an officer or employee of a registered party or of any accounting unit of such a party;
	(c) holds a relevant elective office (within the meaning of Schedule 7); or
	(d) has at any time within the last ten years—
	(i) been such an officer or employee as is mentioned in paragraph (b), or
	(ii) held such an office as is mentioned in paragraph (c), or
	(iii) been named as a donor in the register of donations reported under Chapter III or V of Part IV".
	The Electoral Commission is an independent body established by Parliament, and is therefore answerable to Parliament. The Speaker's Committee has responsibility for the oversight of the Electoral Commission's financial returns and budgetary plans.

Energy: Nuclear Power

Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether it is their policy that no decision on building further nuclear power stations will be taken until a strategy is in place to deal with existing nuclear waste.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Government have made it clear that before we can contemplate a new generation of nuclear reactors, we must demonstrate to the public that the legacy of nuclear waste is being tackled. Under the managing radioactive waste safely (MRWS) programme, there is a clear strategy in place, and work is under way to tackle that legacy.
	We have established the Nuclear Decommisioning Authority, which became effective in April this year. The NDA is setting a UK-wide strategy for more effective decommissioning and clean up of its sites.
	The independent Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) is due to deliver its recommendations in July 2006. The UK Government and the devolved administrations will then decide policy and its means of delivery in the light of CoRWM's recommendations.

EU: Flag

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will take steps to display the European Union flag alongside the British flag on more government buildings; and whether they will discuss such a proposal with the authorities in both Houses of Parliament and with the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The flag of the European Union is flown on Europe Day, 9 May, on all government buildings in England that have two or more flagpoles, provided it is flown alongside the union flag, with the union flag in a superior position. The number of flagpoles on government buildings is the responsibility of the individual departments. There are no plans at present to change this guidance.

Government Car and Despatch Agency

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much the Government Car Service has paid in each year of its operation on (a) the London congestion charge; and (b) fines arising from the non-payment of the London congestion charge; and
	How much the Government Car Service paid in fines due to motoring offences and violations, excluding those arising from the non-payment of the London congestion charge, in each of the past six years.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government Car and Despatch Agency is not exempt from the payment of fines and congestion charges and the information requested is as follows:
	
		
			 Year Fines Congestion Charge Paid Congestion Charge Fines 
			 2002-03 Not available £2,760.00 £40.00 
			 2003-04 £3,610.00 £166,825.00 £240.00 
			 2004-05 £3,770.00 £134,580.00 £190.00 
			 2005-06 * £3,710.00 £113,006.00 £300.00 
		
	
	* year to date
	These charges and penalties cover the entire GCDA fleet. In addition to ministerial cars, which represent approximately 35 per cent. of the entire fleet, the GCDA fleet includes vehicles which are provided by the Government Car Service to government departments, to Ministers and civil servants and all vehicles operated in London by the InterDespatch Service. The InterDespatch Service provides interdepartmental mail distribution to government offices. The majority of GCDA's work is conducted within the congestion charge zone.

Government Computer Systems: Cabinet Office

Lord Harris of Haringey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On how many occasions in each of the past two years malicious programmes have compromised computer systems in the Cabinet Office; and for each such occasion (a) how many machines were affected; (b) how long it took to remove the programmes from the system; and (c) what the impact was on the activities of the department.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: In the Cabinet Office over the past two years, there have been 25 separately recorded instances of malicious programmes (such as worms, viruses, and so on) being detected. In each instance, individual machines only were involved and the malicious programmes were quarantined and removed as soon as practicable. None of these separate instances compromised the security, integrity or availability of networked departmental computer systems, or had a significant impact on the day-to-day running of Cabinet Office operations.

Government Computer Systems: DCMS

Lord Harris of Haringey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On how many occasions in each of the past two years malicious programmes have compromised computer systems in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport; and for each such occasion (a) how many machines were affected; (b) how long it took to remove the programmes from the system; and (c) what the impact was on the activities of the department.

Lord Davies of Oldham: There were no instances where computer systems in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport were compromised by malicious programs in the past two years.

Government Computer Systems: Defra

Lord Harris of Haringey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On how many occasions in each of the past two years malicious programmes have compromised computer systems in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; and for each such occasion (a) how many machines were affected; (b) how long it took to remove the programmes from the system; and (c) what the impact was on the activities of the Department.

Lord Bach: In the past two years, the computer systems at Defra have been compromised by malicious programmes (such as worms, viruses, etc) on the following five occasions:
	
		2004
		
			 Date of infection Machines affected 
			 February 2004 
			  System wide—denied access to Defra's network for a working day for a large part of the department (up to 10,000 users) 
			  
			 May 2004 Approximately 550 PCs 
			  
			 August 2004 Users not directly affected 
			  
			 October 2004 Approximately 350 PCs 
			  
		
	
	
		2005
		
			 Date of infection Machines affected 
			 August 2005 Approximately 180 PCs 
		
	
	Upon discovery immediate action was taken to remove the malicious software. Apart from the incident in February 2004, the incidents did not have a significant impact on the day-to-day running of Defra's operations.

Government Computer Systems: Department for Transport

Lord Harris of Haringey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On how many occasions in each of the past two years malicious programmes have compromised computer systems in the Department for Transport; and for each such occasion (a) how many machines were affected; (b) how long it took to remove the programmes from the system; and (c) what the impact was on the activities of the department.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The computer systems at the Department for Transport and Agencies (DVLA, DSA, GCDA, HA, MCA, VCA and VOSA) have been compromised by malicious programmes (such as worms, viruses and so on). There has been one occasion in the past two years when this occurred on the MCA computer system (1,100 workstations). The [odq]worm[cdq] Sasser B impacted upon the whole system. It was cleared within five hours, contingency measures were implemented and the impact upon the business was minimal. There have been instances of individual PCs being compromised by malicious programmes but these have not compromised any of the computer systems.

Government Computer Systems: Treasury

Lord Harris of Haringey: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On how many occasions in each of the past two years malicious programmes have compromised computer systems in HM Treasury; and for each such occasion (a) how many machines were affected; (b) how long it took to remove the programmes from the system; and (c) what the impact was on the activities of the department.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: In the past two years, there has been only one occasion where a malicious programme was successful in affecting HM Treasury systems. On that occasion a single machine was affected (a web server). The machine was out of service for five days. Some of the department's work was delayed during this period.

Heathrow Airport: Travelators

Lord Acton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 27 October 2004 (WA 134), whether the travelators at Heathrow airport fell below the required standard during 2005; if so, in how many months of 2005; and how far short they fell of the required standard.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The operation and maintenance of travelators at Heathrow airport is a matter for the airport. BAA has indicated that there were no travelator failures at Heathrow airport in 2005.

House of Lords: Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Service

Earl Attlee: asked the Chairman of Committees:
	Whether the operation of the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Service is sufficient to ensure the health of Members with restricted access to primary health care due to their attendance at the House.

Lord Brabazon of Tara: Under the auspices of the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Service, a nurse is on duty in the medical room off the Lower Waiting Hall from 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Thursday, and from 9 am to 4 pm on Fridays. An acute general practitioner service is also provided for Members by the Victoria Medical Centre. Full details of these and other medical services available to Members are set out on page 12 of the Members' Handbook.
	The level of medical services provided to Members was agreed by the Administration and Works Committee in February 2005. This decision was based on the advice of the Medical Panel, which continually keeps the provision of medical services to Members under review. The panel consists of three Peers and three Members of the Commons who are all medically qualified, staff from both Houses, and external health professionals.

Housing: Affordable Housing Commission

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the terms of reference for the Affordable Housing Commission; and in what ways they expect it to improve access to affordable housing for people in rural areas.

Lord Bach: The terms of reference for the Affordable Rural Housing Commission are:
	to consider the evidence and reach a consensus on the relevant issues around affordable housing needs in rural areas, in the context of sustainable rural communities; and
	to provide recommendations for practical solutions across private, government and voluntary sectors, taking account of existing good practice.
	The commission will be reporting in spring 2006 and the results will inform the ongoing work of the Government and the Countryside Agency's Commission for Rural Communities. We would not want to pre-empt the recommendations of the commission. More information on the commission can be found on its website: www.defra.gov.uk/rural/housing/commission/.

India: Human Rights

Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What representations they have made since 1997 to the government of India concerning discrimination against Dalit Christians in that country, giving the date of each representation made.

Lord Triesman: Our initial research indicates that discussions involving UK and Indian Ministers during which the situation regarding Dalit Christians was specifically raised took place on the following occasions: between 4 and 9 September 2000; 20 November 2000; 17 October 2002; and 5 January 2004. In addition, our staff at New Delhi regularly meet or are in contact with relevant Indian officials and non-governmental organisations to raise with them inter alia reports of persecution of and discrimination against minorities in general. The most recent such contact was with the Minorities Commission on 7 February 2006, to raise reports of persecution of Christians in the Dangs District of Gujarat.
	Pre-1999 records are not held at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. These will be forwarded as soon as possible. If these records update this reply, I shall write to you accordingly and place the information in the Library of the House.

Influenza Pandemic

Lord Jenkin of Roding: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the preparations for a response to a possible attack of pandemic influenza in the United Kingdom have included any exercises for real as opposed to table-top exercises.

Lord Warner: The Government have undertaken several exercises in preparation for a possible pandemic influenza in the United Kingdom and plan to undertake a number of further such exercises in the coming year. These events have included table-top and cross-government exercises as well as multi-agency workshops. The exercises undertaken have been command centre and desk-based and have not involved mobilisation of emergency services and healthcare staff.

Influenza Pandemic

Lord Jenkin of Roding: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why the Ministerial Committee on Influenza Pandemic Planning is chaired by the Secretary of State for Health rather than by a more senior Minister with responsibilities across the departments of state involved in such planning.

Baroness Amos: The Secretary of State for Health is a senior government Minister and acts as chair for the Ministerial Committee on Influenza Pandemic Planning. This ministerial committee brings together those responsible for the range of planning for a possible influenza pandemic.

Influenza Pandemic

Lord Jenkin of Roding: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Who will lead the public information and advice campaign that will be required if the country is faced with an influenza pandemic; and what preparations have been made for such a campaign.

Lord Warner: The Department of Health is responsible for the communications strategy for dealing with pandemic influenza. This strategy (published as an annex to the contingency plan issued in October 2005) aims to increase understanding about pandemic flu among public and health professionals.
	The Chief Medical Officer has produced an explanatory guide and a public information leaflet; frequently asked questions and key facts sheets have also been developed. These are available on the Department of Health website at www.dh.gov.uk/pandemicflu and an information pack has been distributed to general practitioner surgeries, pharmacies, NHS Direct call centres, walk-in centres and other health professionals.
	Our strategy also takes into consideration ways to disseminate key messages during a pandemic.

Influenza Pandemic

Lord Jenkin of Roding: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are guided by the advice from the Chief Medical Officer that it is not a question of whether there will be another severe influenza pandemic but when.

Lord Warner: The Government are guided by the Chief Medical Officer's advice and have made plans for a future pandemic. The UK influenza pandemic contingency plan is available on the Department of Health website at www.dh.gov.uk/Pandemicflu. Copies are available in the Library.

Interception of Communications: Parliament

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the Wilson doctrine on tapping telephones of Members of the House of Commons also applies to Members of the House of Lords.

Baroness Amos: I refer the noble Lord to the reply given by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, Lord Bassam, to Lord Roper on 27 September 2000 (Official Report, col. WA138). Lord Bassam notes in his Answer to Lord Roper that the Wilson doctrine applies equally to both Houses of Parliament.

NHS: Dentists

Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What have been the implications for primary care trusts in North Cumbria arising out of the decision by dentists to amend or terminate their contracts for dental services with the National Health Service; and what proportion of the funding released by these contracts is being made available for replacement dental services.

Lord Warner: The North Cumbrian primary care trusts are re-commissioning the services and have recently tendered to replace lost capacity.

NHS: iSoft

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In the light of the delay in rolling out computer software systems in the National Health Service, whether they have set a revised deadline for iSoft to perform under its contract; and, if so, what this deadline is; and
	What aspects of iSoft's past record in delivering software solutions to the National Health Service led to its being chosen as preferred suppliers for the Spine and Choose and Book systems.

Lord Warner: iSoft is not one of the preferred supplier contractors for either the data spine, or the Choose and Book system, under the national programme for information technology in the national health service (NPfIT). Those contracts were awarded to British Telecom and Atos Origin respectively. iSoft is, however, a key subcontractor for three of the programme's five local service providers (LSPs), and has a track record of successful delivery of information technology systems to the National Health Service over a considerable number of years. Choice of subcontractors was and remains a matter for the LSPs concerned. NPfIT is delivering to the NHS a service for clinicians rather than a software package.
	In the Eastern, North East, and North West and West Midlands cluster areas—where iSoft solutions are being deployed—some 900 sites have had iSoft solutions installed, and these are being used by more than 25,000 users. Some LSP local system deployment activity is being rescheduled as a result of LSPs and their subcontractors, including iSoft, taking longer than originally anticipated to deliver software solutions. However, there is no single new deadline. NPfIT is a hugely complex 10-year programme which will see many thousands of further deployments and associated deadlines. Because contracts under the programme are structured so that financing and completion risk rests with the LSPs and their subcontractors, those who deliver get paid; the corollary also applies.

NHS: Pension Scheme

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What progress is being made to ensure equality in the pension rights for women doctors, so that their 6 per cent salary contributions prior to 1998 are considered in death benefit calculations for their bereaved spouses, in the same way as they are considered for male doctors who die leaving widows.

Lord Warner: The pension rights of all female members of the National Health Service pension scheme comply with European Commission law, by equalising benefits from 6 April 1988, in line with the Barber judgment on 17 May 1990.

NHS: Renal Units

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether every renal unit in the United Kingdom has its own dedicated renal dietician; and what advice they give to patients with kidney disease about salt consumption; and
	What measures are in place to ensure that every renal unit in the United Kingdom monitors the salt intake of all patients with kidney disease.

Lord Warner: Data from a survey carried out by the United Kingdom Renal Registry of the Renal Association show that in June 2004, the multidisciplinary renal teams in all but one of the UK renal units that replied (70 out of 72) included at least one dietician.
	However, advice on diet in the early stages of chronic kidney disease usually begins in primary care. Part two of the national service framework for renal services (the renal NSF) makes it clear that lifestyle changes that reduce the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension, including cutting salt intake, are also likely to reduce chronic kidney disease and minimise disease progression. The guideline Chronic Kidney Disease in Adults: Identification, management and referral, 2005 developed by the Renal Association, the Royal College of Physicians in London, the Royal College of General Practitioners and others, also discusses the benefits of restricting salt intake.
	People with advanced chronic kidney disease are treated in secondary care. Part one of the renal NSF states that such patients will require nutritional monitoring and dietary advice, approaching and during renal replacement therapy (dialysis and transplantation), and highlights the clinical standards published by the Renal Association and the Royal College of Physicians of London. These give advice on diet, including salt intake, for patients approaching end-stage renal disease, and those with a kidney transplant. For patients on dialysis, the standards make it clear that dietary restrictions are also needed to maintain satisfactory blood chemistry and optimal nutrition, give advice on nutritional management including recommended limits on dietary salt intake and recommend blood levels of substances such as albumin, phosphate and calcium, which are regulated by dialysis. Patients on dialysis are regularly monitored against such recommendations, and investigation of the causes of abnormal test results would include possible non-concordance with dietary restrictions such as salt intake levels.

Official Gifts: Prime Minister

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which gifts received overseas in the past eight years by the Prime Minister have been declared to H M Customs and Excise for being over the normal travellers' allowances on return to the United Kingdom.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government publish an annual list of gifts received by Ministers valued at more than £140. The list provides details of the value of the gifts and whether they were retained by the department or purchased by the Minister. Copies of the lists, which cover information dating back to June 2001, are available in the Library.
	The rules on the declaration of gifts received by Ministers to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs are set out in chapter 5 of the Ministerial Code.

Official Gifts: Prime Minister

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether each gift valued over £140 received by the Prime Minister in 2004–05 continues to be held by the Prime Minister's Office as detailed by the Cabinet Office report published in July 2005; and, if not, where each gift is held.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The information remains as stated in the 2004-05 annual list published in July 2005.

Palestine: Financial Assistance

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will consult the European Commission, in the aftermath of the Palestinian legislative council elections on 25 January, on the case for resuming financial assistance payments to the Palestinian National Authority.

Baroness Amos: The results of the Palestinian elections have caused the international community to review its relationship with the Palestinian Authority. We are working very closely with the European Commission and other development partners to monitor the situation closely and establish a co-ordinated response.

Public Procurement: Social Inclusion

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How minority ethnic and socially disadvantaged communities have benefited from their policies and procedures on procurement; and
	How they intend to achieve social inclusion and community cohesion through procurement policies and procedures.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: It is for each contracting authority to decide how it will achieve social inclusion and community cohesion through its procurement policies and procedures, taking into account the relevance of these factors to the particular contract, the Government's value for money policy, the ELI procurement rules and its own objectives.
	Public procurement is often seen as a lever to achieve economic, social and environmental policy objectives. The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) is working with a range of departments across government, providing advice and guidance on how to incorporate these policy objectives into the procurement process in a way that is consistent with the legal and policy framework governing public procurement. In particular, the OGC has recently published a note on Social Issues in Purchasing which provides guidance on how a range of social issues can be taken into account in the procurement process.
	The OGC, along with other departments, advised the Commission for Racial Equality in the development of its guides on race equality in public procurement for public authorities and local authorities.
	As a result of the successful lessons learnt from the SME procurement pilot projects led by the OGC in the West Midlands and the DTI's Small Business Service (SBS) in Haringey, north London, several of the initiatives tested are now being rolled out nationally. This work, aimed at improving the participation of small businesses in the government marketplace, is inclusive of black and minority ethnic businesses (BMEs), disabled-owned and women-owned businesses and third sector organisations.

Questions for Written Answer

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why they have not yet replied to Written Parliamentary Questions (HL2213) and (HL2214), tabled 82 days ago and allocated to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Lord Bach: The Written Parliamentary Questions referred to by the noble Lord were replied to on 8 February 2006.

Railways: Sailsbury-Exeter

Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 2 February (WA 77), what is their estimate of the cost of the upgrading the infrastructure of the Salisbury to Exeter railway track.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Network Rail has estimated that the cost of doubling the 70 miles of track between Salisbury and Exeter, with associated alterations to bridge structures, platforms and signalling, would be in excess of £100 million. Installing 8 miles of passing loops to facilitate the hourly Exeter-Waterloo service and a local shuttle between Exeter and Axminster is estimated to be in the region of £25 million.

Railways: Westbury Interchange

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 1 February (WA 57), what reductions in rail service between Westbury and the West of England are proposed; and whether remaining connections will provide a convenient travel service from the direction of Salisbury.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The service level commitment (SLC) within the new Great Western franchise agreement for implementation in December 2006 reduces the number of trains required to call at both Westbury and Taunton on Mondays to Fridays from 10 to six westbound and from nine to three eastbound. On Saturdays the reduction is from eight to one westbound and eastbound. On Sundays the reduction is from eight to four westbound and seven to four eastbound.
	There are few connections at Westbury from Salisbury under the SLC. However the SLC allows the train operator some flexibility to decide exactly when trains should run and whether they should stop at certain. stations. On 13 February First Great Western Limited launched a public consultation to seek views including on improvement to connections. The final detailed timetable will be developed in liaison with Network Rail in the light of the consultation response and within the degree of flexibility allowed in the SLC.

Regional Development Funding

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How the £72 million available from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the current year for regional development agencies will in practice be spent; and whether they will break down the proposed spending in each of the coming two financial years, distinguishing between administrative costs, capital investment and salaries for promotional and development workers.

Lord Bach: Since April 2002, the RDAs have been financed through a single programme budget (the single pot). This consists of money from various departments (DTI, ODPM, DfES, Defra, DCMS and UKTI). Defra's contribution to the single pot in 2005–06 is £51.5 million. Inflation-proofing will see this increase to £52.5 million in 2006–07 and £54.5 million in 2007–08.
	The single pot is allocated using a funding formula, and is available to the RDAs to address regional priorities (set out in regional economic strategies), whilst at the same time contributing to the delivery of national PSA targets. Funding for administrative overheads is allocated from the single pot using a flat-rate indicator.
	Rural Strategy 2004 announced that, from 1 April 2005, Defra intended to devolve decision-making on delivery of economic and social regeneration policies to the regional development agencies, and transfer funding from the Countryside Agency to the RDAs. Funding of £21.3 million per annum has since been allocated for the years 2005–06 to 2007–08 and is distributed outside the single pot mechanism, using the new rural indicator to ensure these resources are targeted according to rural need. However, as with the overall single pot funding, RDAs have the flexibility to utilise this funding to contribute to the targets set by government (including Defra's PSA targets on rural productivity and access to services, sustainable farming and food, and sustainable development) and the priorities in each regional economic strategy.
	How each RDA utilises its single pot allocation will vary according to regional need. Details of RDA priorities and planned spending can be found in individual RDA corporate plans, with six-monthly reports on performance, setting out what has been achieved. These documents can be found on each RDA website.
	This move to devolve funding to the regions through RDAs is part of the Government's devolving decision-making agenda. RDAs, working in partnership, will decide how to spend their resources to meet national targets and address regional needs. However, Defra is confident that by devolving these responsibilities to the RDAs and having increased the resources it makes available to them, rural delivery will become more responsive to local priorities and better focused on areas and people that need it most.

Roads: Repairs Backlog

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the road repair backlog in (a) each local transport authority area in England; and (b) on roads maintained by the Highways Agency.

Lord Davies of Oldham: We do not have this information for local authority maintained roads by individual authority. All local highway authorities have been encouraged to produce asset management plans for their roads. These will consist of inventories of stock, its existing condition, and target condition based upon desired service levels. This will inform calculations of the backlogs on local roads. Asset management plans will also provide a tool to obtain and organise information to support the requirement for local authorities to introduce Whole Government Accounts for 2006–07.
	There is no maintenance backlog on roads maintained by the Highways Agency.

Rural Enterprise Scheme

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will provide a breakdown of expenditure to date on the rural enterprise scheme, including processing and marketing grants; and what the principal heads of expenditure will be under the scheme in each of the coming two financial years.

Lord Bach: The current England rural development programme will end on 31 December 2006. The project-based schemes, including the rural enterprise scheme (RES) and the processing and marketing grant scheme (PMG)—will close to new applications on 30 June 2006. A consultation on the priorities of the new rural development programme will commence very shortly.
	
		
			 Scheme Spend to end March 2005 Budget for 2005-06 Ceiling for 2006-07 Total 
			 RES £65.5 million £36 million £34 million £135.5 million 
			 PMG £23.7 million £8 million £8 million £39.7 million

Rural Enterprise Scheme

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What rate of return they expect to be generated by spending on the rural enterprise scheme.

Lord Bach: Economic returns for rural enterprise schemes (RES) are dependent on the individually sponsored scheme. They are not a deciding factor when making a grant under the scheme.
	All applications for assistance under RES are assessed by the Rural Development Service against a range of criteria including outcomes as well as sustainability and value for money.
	The Government are seeking to achieve a range of complex outcomes for the measures in the rural enterprise scheme—for instance, the number of new or maintained jobs, number of quality agricultural products marketed, number of tourist day visits and area of land made irrigable.
	RES also supports community projects—for instance, community shops and post offices, and the renovation of village halls, where we want to ensure funding benefits as many rural people as possible.

Stansted Airport

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many submissions or other items of correspondence the Department for Transport has received in favour of the expansion of Stansted Airport.

Lord Davies of Oldham: In the consultation that preceded the Future of Air Transport White Paper, a number of responses supported expansion of Stansted Airport. Statistics on this were provided in the report by Aviasolutions entitled A Report to the Government's Consultation: South East (December 2003). This report is on the Department for Transport's website.
	Following the White Paper, the Government have received many representations about development of Stansted Airport—both for and against. It would involve disproportionate costs to provide details on how many of these were in support of expansion.

Sudan: Darfur

Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What estimate the United Nations has made of the number of peacekeepers required to maintain peace in Darfur.

Lord Triesman: We welcome the African Union's (AU) decision at the 12 January Peace and Security Council expressing support in principle to handing over its monitoring mission in Darfur (AMIS) to the UN. The UN Security Council has instructed the UN Secretary-General to report back to the council on the options for such a UN operation. We are discussing with the UN and the AU the possible size, mandate and composition.

Transport Research Laboratory

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many officials from the Department for Transport are currently on secondment to the Transport Research Laboratory and vice versa; and what are the positions held.

Lord Davies of Oldham: There are currently no secondments between the Department for Transport and the Transport Research Laboratory—either inward or outward.

Transport: Research and Consultancy Services

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 30 January (WA 18), whether they will now answer parts (b) and (c) of the question (HL3564).

Lord Davies of Oldham: The review was conducted between October 2004 and February 2005 and covered contracts let by the department during the period 1 April 2002 to 31 December 2004.
	The review led to the formulation and adoption of a key supplier management system, designed to promote better business relationships with the leading suppliers to the department. This system was implemented on 1 April 2005.

Transport: Urban Congestion

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether it is their intention that urban congestion targets will form part of every local transport plan; and, if so, when they plan to extend the programme beyond the 10 largest urban areas.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The 10 largest urban authorities, which account for a significant proportion of all congestion on urban roads, will publish congestion targets based on new data sources provided by the Government during the summer 2006. Other local authorities which identify congestion as a key local issue may also set appropriate targets and indicators in their local transport plans, but are not required to do so.

Universities: Higher Education Funding Council for England

Baroness Sharp of Guildford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assumptions the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) will make in relation to fee income received per full-time undergraduate for the years 2006–07 to 2008–09; how these assumptions will relate to HEFCE's future funding formula for teaching; and whether they are compatible with the Government's undertakings during the debates on the Higher Education Bill in 2004 that the income received by universities from top-up fees would be additional to existing base-line funding; and
	Whether the Higher Education Funding Council for England's proposals in relation to allocation of teaching funds between universities are compatible with commitments made by the Government during the debates on the Higher Education Bill in 2004 to bring forward proposals to safeguard the interests of part-time students.

Lord Adonis: The council has been consulting the higher-education sector on the future formula to be used for the distribution of grant for teaching. I am sure the council will consider carefully any arguments on these issues and I expect the end result to be compatible with the earlier commitments the Government have made. We have already brought forward proposals to provide additional support amounting to £40 million over the next two years for part-time students from non-traditional backgrounds.

Vehicles: HGV Licences

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many United Kingdom drivers currently hold a licence entitlement to drive a heavy or large goods vehicle.

Lord Davies of Oldham: As at January 2006, the number of drivers in Great Britain holding a substantive GB licence entitlement to drive heavy or large goods vehicles was 1,387,185.

Vehicles: Personal Digital Cards

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether a driver will require a personal digital card before he can drive a new large goods vehicle built after May 2006.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Any driver subject to the EU drivers' hours rules (Regulation 3820/85) requires a personal driver card in order to be able to drive a heavy goods vehicle fitted with a digital tachograph.
	At the moment, heavy goods vehicles can be fitted with either analogue tachographs or digital tachographs. However, digital tachographs are expected to become mandatory for any such vehicles put into service for the first time from May this year.

Vehicles: Personal Digital Cards

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether a vehicle mechanic will require a personal digital card before he can drive a new large goods vehicle built after May 2006.

Lord Davies of Oldham: A vehicle mechanic requires a personal driver card in order to be able to drive a heavy goods vehicle fitted with a digital tachograph unless he or she is able to take advantage of one of the exemptions from the EU drivers' hours rules (Regulation 3820/85).
	One such exemption applies to vehicles undergoing road tests for development, repair or maintenance purposes, and new or rebuilt vehicles which have not yet been put into service.
	At the moment, heavy goods vehicles can be fitted with either analogue tachographs or digital tachographs. However, digital tachographs are expected to become mandatory for any such vehicles put into service for the first time from May this year.

Vehicles: Personal Digital Cards

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many personal digital cards have so far been issued; and how many will be issued by 1 May 2006.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Since July 2005 DVLA has issued 6,621 digital tachograph driver cards (figures correct as of 9 February 2006). It is not possible to estimate how many will be issued by 1 May 2006, as this will depend on the number of applications received.

Vehicles: Stretch Limousines

Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	On how many occasions in the last convenient 12-month period the Vehicle Operator Services Agency has taken to court a person carrying nine or more passengers in a stretch limousine.

Lord Davies of Oldham: During the period 1 January to 31 December 2005, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency prosecuted 16 cases, totalling 24 defendants and 74 offences in relation to stretched limousines carrying more than eight passengers.